Help Veronica Get Her Life Back

Hi my name is Francis Fritsch. I am raising money so my sister, Veronica, can receive medical treatment at the Spero Clinic. She is living with a horrible disease called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, CRPS, otherwise known as the "suicide disease". Here is her story in her own words.

Hi my name is Veronica Fritsch. Two years ago I was a healthy 24 year old living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I was a Carmelite nun preparing to take my vows. All of this changed on December 7, 2022, when I sprained my right wrist. What appeared to be a simple sprain turned into a horrible rollercoaster. My wrist would not heal and the pain became intense. Then the pain began to spread. I began to have violent muscle spasms, intense burning pain and pain that I can only describe as feeling like my bones are being crushed even though nothing was touching my body. Six months went by with the doctors being baffled and me getting worse. All that was certain was I was physically deteriorating, needed help with the simplest tasks and didn't have the necessary health to be a nun so I had to leave the monastery. I moved back to Ohio and finally got the diagnosis of CRPS. By then I had limited range of motion, every step felt like I was going to tear a muscle and the pain had spread to nearly my whole body. This is now my new normal along with even more symptoms.

Doctors do not have a cure for CRPS. It is a complex condition that is associated with the imbalance and malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. It generally occurs after some injury or surgery (mine was a sprained wrist). Many people who suffer from CRPS describe the pain as feeling like they are literally being burned alive. To describe it non-medically, 1/2 of your nervous system is stuck in "fight or flight" mode which causes the severe pain. A simple breeze on the bare skin can be "too much" for your body to handle and cause even more pain. I cannot even be touched because of the pain. The other 1/2 of your nervous system is shutting down. This causes a whole slew of other problems because this shutting down is causing other systems in your body to shut down (like your digestive system). Medically speaking it is considered the most painful disease known to man-rating higher than both childbirth and amputation on the McGill Pain Index. CRPS has the nickname the "suicide disease" because the pain can lead many people who suffer from it to end their life.

There is a private outpatient clinic in Fayetteville, Arkansas called the Spero Clinic. It is run by a well-known Quantum Neurology Nerve Rehabilitation Specialist, Dr. Katinka van der Merwe. People from all over the world come to the Spero Clinic for their treatment. They have a very high success rate with their patients going into remission. Their treatment program is on average 12 weeks (everybody's body is different). Unlike other pain clinics that only give minimal, temporary pain relief, the Spero Clinic treats the problem. Their goal is to restore balance to the central nervous system thus enabling the body to heal itself. Insurances do not cover this treatment. I am asking for your help to raise the money so I can get the treatment I need to get my pain under control and control over my body which feels like it has been hijacked. All of the money I receive will go towards treatment costs and the living/housing expenses while in Arkansas. I am extremely thankful for whatever you can give and your prayers. You will be in mine too.

Please see update done on Thanksgiving 2024. I had to increase my goal to $170,000 due to my treatment time being extended. Thank you.